Adjusting
by Ziva Addy
Summary: What happens when 'Jessica Pearson' bumps into 'Richard Castle' at the NYPD 12th? Browncoats get to rejoice, that's what. When they find each other again, Mal and Zoe start back up with the old mischief we love. Firefly/Suits/Castle crossover.
1. Falling

**A/N: Hola readers! Nice to see you guys again! Welcome to the first Firefly/Castle/Suits crossover fic (or at least I think it is). Buckle up and enjoy the ride folks. And remember to review at the end!**

**Disclaimer: None of these three wonderful shows are mine!  
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><p>'Jessica Pearson' walked through the elevator doors of the NYPD 12th precinct. She was immediately hit with a long forgotten smell of must, wood, metal, and gunpowder. A shiver ran up her spine and there was a pang in her chest as a buried memory attempted to fight its way to the surface. With a deep breath, she ignored it.<p>

_Stupid ass Harvey and his stupid ass bets._

Oh well. She had sided with Louis for once and made a bet with Harvey on whether his kid associate would hold up strong in a court by himself. Shockingly, the young man had suppressed his own caring nature and was able to convict a child molesting monster in a mere week. She was proud of him, in an indirect way, but somewhat pissed that she had managed to land herself with a case that she would usually have assigned to Harvey. The police had put a long time client of Pearson-Hardman's in the interrogation room, and she hoped to hell the man had just been intimidated enough to call them in. Homicides were not dealt with at her law firm, but the client was rich, and it would not be good business to turn him down.

Lost in her thoughts, she stumbled and went flying into a middle-aged man who was talking to a young woman with bright red hair in the middle of the hallway. As soon as her body touched his, she inhaled, and was shocked by what she smelled. That earthy scent took her back twenty or so years, to bloody battlefields littered with the dead and dying, bonds formed desperately that couldn't ever be broken, a life of crime, but yet full of justice. She couldn't see his face as his back was still turned to her, but when he spoke, she almost stopped breathing.

"Whoa there-"

She cut him off. "Sir?"

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><p>'Castle' nearly fell over as a body slammed into his back. He was in the midst of yet <em>another<em> unsuccessful attempt to talk Alexis out of going to Stanford early. He rolled his eyes hoping that the woman (and he could tell it was a woman…her "attributes" were pressing up against his back) wasn't some deranged fan that was looking for an excuse to talk to a famous author. He rolled his eyes at Alexis and readied himself to turn around.

"Woah there-"

"Sir?"

'Castle' froze. That voice. _That voice_. One of the many that haunted him, yet one of the ones that he didn't dare hope to hear again. He whirled around, and had to blink several times to assure himself that his eyes weren't fooling him.

"Zoe?" He hardly dare to breathe her name, lest it turn out it was just his over active imagination playing tricks on him.

But suddenly she was in his arms. And she was solid, real, tangible. He held her tighter than he could remember holding anyone in his life. Fifteen years. _Years._ It had been that long since he had seen his best friend, his first mate, the one person who would ever understand the real him. They were both shaking, he could feel her shaking as she buried her face in his shoulder, and his hands were turning white from clutching her so hard. She was murmuring his name, his _real _name, and he was mouthing hers.

Nothing mattered but the fact that she was there, they had found each other again. He didn't care what had brought her here, and he didn't notice the stares he was getting from the officers (and not to mention Alexis) who were starting to crowd around. The only thought that he could register was that she still smelled like her, like home.

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><p>It took several minutes for them to break apart, but by the time they did, over half the precinct was staring at the two of them. Beckett was at the front of the crowd.<p>

"Castle?"

It took a good ten seconds for 'Castle' or, rather, Mal, to look up from Zoe's face to answer.

"Uhhh…yeah?"

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Even though Beckett's tone was teasing, her eyes were hurt and jealous. Sensing the tension coming off the detective, the crowd started to break up.

"Beckett, I'd like you to meet my best friend in the entire world," Beckett could've sworn she heard the woman who was just starting to let go of Castle mutter _"Worlds."_

Castle continued. "We've been to hell and back, and abou' fifteen years back, I thought I'd lost her for good." His voice had slipped into a slight accent at the end that Beckett couldn't quite place. "Katherine Beckett, I would like you to meet one of the most extraordinary women that have existed-"

His friend cut him off. "I'm Jessica Pearson," 'Castle' snickered, and 'Jessica' glowered at him, whispering "What? It's a perfectly legitimate name?" to which he replied, "Yes, but you were always too obsessed with her." She glared again before continuing to Kate. "I'm the lawyer for Martin Steinback."

Kate smirked. "That sorry S.O.B is right down the hall. I'm sure Castle would be happy to take you there."

Beckett turned on her heel and walked away. At least Castle's miracle woman wouldn't be able to save that asshole from the fate that was coming towards him. She did not have a doubt in her mind that man was their murderer. Though she hated to admit it, Beckett was already jealous of this new woman that Castle seemed so close to, and she was looking forward to watching her fail.

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><p>As soon as Beckett was out of sight, Malcolm Reynolds (now only formerly known as Castle) pulled Zoe into the empty conference room that they were standing in front of.<p>

"Zoe, how the hell are you here?" Now that he had gotten over his initial shock, he had to know. Had she been here all this time? Had he lost himself for nothing?

Her face turned hard at the memories that had taken place a decade and a half ago. "We tried to mount a rescue mission, sir. You told us not to, but I remembered our code. We couldn't leave you to what we thought those bastards was gonna do. So me and Jayne, we went in after you. We split up to follow the plan, and Jayne immediately got himself knocked down into a disposal unit. I was trying to get him out when I got myself carted off by the Alliance. They sent me back here, but I never found out what happened to you. I just wrote you off as another casualty."

Mal looked amused for a minute. "What happened to not risking your ship?"

She smirked. "When it came down to it, a ship's not really to much of a home without her captain."

"Did they send you here with a handler?"

She grimaced. "Yes. My 'husband.' Don't worry though. As soon as the Alliance started to stop contacting us, he decided that I was well enough stuck here, and left. I'm assuming you were sent here with one as well?"

The ex-sergeant smirked. "Yes, she was sent back as my 'mother.' Don't worry though, the woman isn't a threat to us, considering she was secretly helping us through the entire war. Now, she's a professional actress of course." He grinned suddenly. "Speaking of career changes- 'Jessica Pearson the lawyer?'"

Zoe glared. "And what's wrong with that, sir?"

Mal was trying his best not to laugh. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Just the fact that you took the name and career of that old lady that we met on that one job that time on Persephone."

Zoe looked indignant. "She was an intelligent woman who had a remarkable career! It seemed fitting. And I always did want to try me some lawyer-ing. Only the war interrupted it a lil' bit. And besides, my name and career are no more of a joke than yours. 'Castle' the police officer? Really Mal? As I recall it, policin's the last thing that you aught 'a be doing."

Mal looked sheepish. "It's Richard Castle. And not actually a police officer, as it were. I'm a writer, a novelist. That lady you saw out there is my muse for my newest series."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zoe was roaring with laughter. "You…a…writer?" She gasped. "Sir…that…is…the…least…Malcolm Reynolds-ish...thing I…have ever heard…of."

"Malcolm Reynolds-ish?" smirked Mal, before saying "And I always had this love o' language a'fore the war. Decided I may as well put it to use if I was stuck back here." But at the sight of his former first mate still laughing her gorram head off, he resumed his frown.

"Zoe…let's get serious here," he said once her laugh was downgraded to mere chuckles. "What are we gonna do? Should we make a break at going back?"

She sobered at once. "I don't know sir. I mean, I still got a few pieces o' the machine they sent me back with. It was still a prototype though, and most of it got burned up in the process of getting me here. What about you?"

His expression was much the same as hers; grim. "I got a few pieces, and Martha and I tried to re-assemble it, but I'm afraid I never had Kaylee's skill with a wrench." He smiled briefly. "We could combine what we have, and see if we could give it a shot to get 'em back together."

She smiled with him, before a realization hit her face. "But Mal, what about our lives here? We've been here 15 years, put down roots, we can't just up and leave."

He looked determined. "We should still try an' get it together. After that, we can decide what our move's gonna be. But it'll be nice to at least have some options."

Nodding, Zoe said. "Alrigh' sir. Your place at eight?"

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><p><strong>AN: And that about wraps it up for today! I have one word for all you marvelous readers. Review! Review, review review! How will I know whether it sucked or made the cut if you don't? I need to know whether or not it's worth the time and effort to continue!**

**Love you guys!**


	2. Pushing

**I'm back! With a promised update :) This should be updated twice a week, probably on Saturdays and Wednesdays.**

**Thank you so much to all of you who subscribed, favorited, or reviewed. Each and every notification I got made my day. **

**I would like to say (probably to the disappointment of all of you reading) that I'm not going to be adding Chuck into this mix. Though I love Adam Baldwin and have watched a lot of his work, I was never a huge Chuck watcher, and I don't think I could do the show justice if I incorporated it into this.**

**I would also like to say, that just for the purpose of the story (and since I can because it's already AU ;)) I'm going to pretend that the season three finale of Castle did not happen, there was no death of Montgomery, no shooting of Beckett, and no "I love you"s.  
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**That said, I hope you like this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Absolutely nothing.**

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><p>Mal wasn't surprised when his doorbell rang at exactly 8 pm. Zoe always was punctual.<p>

Unlocking the door, he smiled at his best friend trying to balance a large cardboard box that was sprouting slightly singed wires from its top. His grin widened as he spotted a familiar leather vest that covered the front of her black button down.

"Is that outfit what I think it is?" He laughed. "I'm surprised you still have it."

Zoe raised her eyebrow. "Well do you still have your old clothes 'Cap'n Tight-pants?" She smirked at his look of outrage.

"How in the gorram hell did you find out about that?" His fair skin was turning a quite amusing shade of pink, and Zoe laughed while continuing to try to balance out the tipping box of electronics.

"Kaylee says a lot when she's pissed."

He turned still redder while he reached out to take her box. "Moving on. You have more stuff left than I expected. We may just have a chance with this fool experiment after all."

Nudging the door open to his study, it became visible that the entire floor was covered with various metal parts, wires, and micro-chips; all covered in a mix of Chinese and English.

Mal grinned at Zoe, and she reciprocated.

"Let's get to work."

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><p>They continued in their routine for weeks. Mal's study door would stay locked until every other day when Zoe would come over and they would try their hands at doing Kaylee's job. It wasn't until the fifth or sixth time that she was coming in that Alexis was the one who answered the door instead of Mal. She was surprised to say the least.<p>

"Hey dad, that weird lawyer woman is at the door…that one you had the extended hug fest with."

_Ta ma de. Gaisi ci de suoyou diyu. Shit._

"Oh yeah honey, that's Zoe. I'll be down in a minute." He should have changed right when he got back from the precinct, that way this could have been avoided for a little longer until he knew how he was going to explain why his study was now locked 24/7 and there was a woman that she had never met that was at their house almost every day of the week.

He descended the stairs to find the scenario about what he expected it. Zoe looked shocked (and he knew it was hard to shock her after all the _go-se_ they'd seen) and Alexis was looking between the two with a glare that could have melted ice. He groaned.

"Honey…you remember Zoe right?"

The glare intensified. "Yes. I remember the scene you caused at the precinct. And I was under the impression that her name was _Jessica._"

Zoe took that as a cue to step in. "That's my…changed name. When your father and I met my name was Zoe Washburne."

Alexis turned and said, "Alexis Castle." before turning back to her father and resuming her glare. "So nice of you to tell me that someone was coming over Dad." She then turned and pushed past Mal to storm up the stairs.

Mal braced himself at the indignant look that was frozen on Zoe's face.

"YOU HAVE A _DAUGHTER!"_ And there it was.

He put on his best bashful look. "Yes Zoe. Don't you remember her? She was there at the precinct…"

She now looked just pissed. "Of course I remember! But you never mentioned she was your _daughter._"

"I know," said Mal "I know. I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner. But it doesn't change our situation. We need to get to work, we still need to have our options open."

Zoe then looked even more pissed. "So let me get this straight, sir. You have a daughter. A _family._ You have more money here than we could have ever dreamed of back home. And you have that detective lady who is quite obviously falling quite hard for you. Why the hell would you wanna go back? I mean, me? I got a husband back there. He's the only true family I got. But sir, you got something else now."

Now it was Mal's turn to be angry. "I know what I have Zoe! I know it okay? Don't mean I don't wanna go back home just as bad as you do. This is an option. We are fixing this damned thing because it is an _option._ That don't mean I'm gonna use it. It don't mean that I just won't let you go on back while I stay here. But I wanna have that door open for me."

She glared at him. "Sir, we both know you never met an open door that you didn't go through. What makes this one any different?"

He was silent for a moment. "Cause this time the stuff in the room I'm in may just be worth keepin'."

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><p>They didn't mention that night for the next few weeks of work. Alexis had gradually gotten used to the fact that Zoe was there more, and started being an ounce more polite. That was a relief to Mal. The last thing he needed was for those two to hate each other if his plan was to work out.<p>

They were making steady progress on the device. Zoe had been an ace at disarming bombs during the war, and that made her pretty useful with all the welding and cutting of wires.

One night, excitement had been palpable in the air. They both knew they were on the verge of something big. They'd managed to salvage most of the two machines, and had been fitting together the puzzle pieces that they had, as well as borrowing some 21st century technology to fill some missing gaps.

Zoe was in the middle of welding one of the final wires into its place when Mal stepped out of the study to get them some refreshment. He had just finished pouring two cups of iced lemonade when his doorbell rang. He immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Martha was out rehearsing her latest play on Broadway and Alexis was upstairs studying frantically for her finals- she wouldn't have tolerated any of her friends coming over. Martha had eventually found out about Zoe, but she wouldn't contact the Alliance considering the fact that she had been on their side from the start. What if Zoe's handler had been taking surveillance? He knew Zoe was careful, but he didn't know how experienced this guy was. He wiped his hands on his shirt before opening the door.

"Beckett? Ryan? Esposito? What they hell are you guys doing here?"

The three detectives were silent as they pushed past him into the apartment.

Esposito was the first to speak. "Listen bro, we're starting to get worried about you. And what the hell is that you're wearing?"

Mal looked down. Shit. He had taken to changing into his old clothes once he got home, and he was currently in a pair of khakis, a button down, and his suspenders. Thank goodness his coat was still in his study. To answer Esposito he muttered, "Nothing..."

Ryan ignored the comment on Mal's choice of attire and continued along the lines of Esposito's first statement. "Castle, you know if anything's going on we're behind you all the way. We'll do whatever to help you, just say the word."

Mal laughed uneasily. "What are you guys talking about? I'm fine. Nothing's up."

Beckett glared at him. "Cut the crap Castle. For weeks now, _weeks_, you've been distracted, moody, unhelpful, and downright secretive. We need to know what's up."

Seeing how serious their faces were, Mal thought quickly. "Look guys, I'm sorry if I've seen distracted or out of it lately. It's this whole Stanford thing. I mean I'm just not ready to have Ale-"

He was cut off by an extended, earsplitting mechanical whine that was coming from his study. It was a sound he knew all too well.

Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito clapped their hands over their ears.

"What the hell is that?" Ryan yelled.

_Ta ma de._ He was starting to run to his locked study when Alexis came running down the stairs, her hands over her ears as well.

"Dad! What is that noise? I'm trying to study!" He tossed her an apologetic look before breaking open his study's door to find Zoe frantically trying to find a wire in the knotted mess of yellow, red, blue, and green that surrounded the hunks of metal. He knelt down beside her.

"Zoe! Why in the gorram hell is that thing armed?"

She looked frantic. "I don't know sir. I welded the last wire in place, but that shouldn't have set it off. I must have done something that made it automatically go on as soon as it had an electrical current."

Swearing in Chinese, Mal turned to go and push everyone out of the living room before it was too late. He was surprised when he saw that all four of them were in the doorway of his office, their eyes wide as saucers. Kate was even brave enough to remove her hands from her ears.

"You made a _bomb_ Castle? That's why you've been so weird?" She, along with the other three, looked furious. Mal groaned.

"Kate, listen to me. This is not a bomb. It is nothing even remotely similar to a bomb. But you need to get out of here, as quickly as you can. Please. All of you. Just leave."

All three detectives hands were on their guns. "Castle," said Beckett, with her eyes hard. "I'm going to need you to step away from the device. You too lady."

"Sir," Zoe warned, not moving. "Get them out of here. _Now._"

"Thanks for the idea Zoe. Why hadn't I thought of that?" He grumbled sarcastically. Getting up, he moved faster than any of the NYPD officers or Alexis thought he could. He was pushing them out of the door before they had even registered that he was standing up.

"Now, Alexis, honey, I love you. Remember that. Always."

Her eyes filled with tears. "But Dad-"

He shushed her, and while he was still moving her, along with Ryan, Esposito, and Beckett, who were struggling against his movements, kissed her on the forehead. He looked at Beckett.

"Kate, remember me. And take care of my baby girl." And he leaned over and kissed her briefly on the mouth. All three officers were so stunned by the motion that they stopped struggling for a moment. As he pushed harder at them while they were incapacitated, he heard Zoe from behind him.

"Sir…we're humped."

He looked over his shoulder to see that the little electronic clock that was mantled on the device read…

0:04…

0:03…

0:02…

0:01…

Then as he faced his friends and daughter again, he heard the whine break.

_I failed._ He thought.

Then everything went black.

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><p><strong>Ooooh, pseudo-cliffy... Hope you guys enjoyed this, I'll be updating again in a few days :) Remember to press that little blue button down there. I've heard if enough people do it, everyone gets brownies...<strong>

_Chinese translations:_

_Ta ma de- Fuck_

_Gaisi ci de suoyou diyu!- Damn this all to hell!_

_Go-se- Shit_


	3. Explaining

Mal blinked rapidly to clear the blackness that clouded his vision. He groaned as he moved himself into a sitting position. His surroundings were unfamiliar; a lavishly decorated bedroom covered with shades of red and gold, with a window that had light spilling in from the land outside. As the memories leading up to his current predicament returned to him, panic flooded his chest. It was relieved a moment later, however, when he looked to his right and saw Zoe rousing in much the same manner as he had. The panic returned full force, however, when he heard a groan from behind him.

_Shit._

Slowly turning his aching neck, the former sergeant saw his worst nightmare come true. The Beckett was opening her eyes and trying to move her stiff muscles; that was the groan he had heard. But it got worse. Ryan, Esposito, and Alexis were all gently stirring next to her.

_Da-shiang bao-tza shr duh lah doo-tze. Jen dao mei!_

Next to him, Zoe was pushing herself up from all fours onto her unsteady feet. Checking to make sure that Beckett and the others were still lying or sitting down, he followed her lead.

Once he was up (on shaky legs) he grabbed a hold of Zoe's shoulder to keep him steady, and together they slowly made their way to the window.

Once he saw what was outside, he knew they were humped.

Looking at Zoe's face, he saw that her thoughts were along the same line as his. "What do you think, sir?" She asked. "Looks a might like Osiris. Or mayhaps Bellerophon."

Neither were good choices. "I'm thinking Osiris. City looks pretty advanced."

"I was afraid of that."

"Afraid a' what?"

Both Mal and Zoe turned around to see Ryan and Esposito helping each other stand up, while Beckett was up and leaning against a wall. Alexis was the only one still sitting; rubbing her presumably aching head.

"Castle, bro, what the hell is goin' on?" Esposito slurred. "What the hell happened?"

Mal and Zoe shared a dark look. Dropping his false American accent completely, he let his inner self finally come out. "Ya'll may wanna sit down for this."

Kate was already obliging him, sliding down the wall; though Mal suspected this had more to do with the fact that she was in an incredible amount of pain than the fact that he had asked her to do so. Following their boss's lead, Esposito and Ryan joined Kate and Alexis on the floor.

Mal and Zoe headed back to next to the bed, where they began to sink down as well. On his way down, he spotted something lying on the wooden floorboards.

"Hey Zo'," he grinned. "My coat. I musta been kneelin' on it when the gorram thing went off."

She gave him her trademark dry smile. "How extremely lucky for you, sir. I'm glad I left mine onboard Serenity. Hope Wash didn't toss it."

"EXCUSE ME." Said Beckett, sounding quite aggravated. "Could one of you please be kind enough to tell us what in the hell has happened?"

Sighing, Mal turned again to Zoe. "Shall you, or shall I?"

She shrugged. "Your friends, your responsibilities."

Grumbling, he turned to the group. "I need y'all to be very, _very_ quiet from here on out, _dong-ma_?"

Beckett looked even angrier. "If you haven't forgotten," she growled "_the rest of us don't speak Chinese."_

Putting up his hands in self-defense, he clarified. "Understand? This is someone's house. Most likely a someone who won't be very happy to see us in their bedroom. We need to be as quiet as possible."

"What?" whisper-shouted Beckett. "We're trespassing? We need to get out of here Castle. Now!"

"And I couldn't agree more Beckett, but first, you need to know about where we are."

She looked angrier still. "Tell me on our way out. This is a punishable offense Castle!" She made to get up, but before Mal could react, Zoe grabbed her arm. His intimidating first officer looked deep into the detective's eyes. "Stay down. Stay quiet. Listen to what the Cap'n's saying. It's for your own sake."

As her eyes turned from angry to frightened to empty, she let go of her arm. Where her fingers had been, there were red spots, and Ryan and Esposito glared at Zoe.

"Now y'all need to listen the hell up," Mal said in his effort to diffuse the tension. "In the mid-22nd century, pollution completely takes over Earth. Plants can't grow, and the oxygen runs out. The water turns dirty and a lot of animals die out. It's then that we discover how to terra-form."

"Terra-form?" Alexis croaked. She had finally regained her coherency.

"Yeah, honey, terra-form. It's the process of turning a moon or a lifeless planet into one that can sustain life. Now we did this to a whole conjoined solar system of planets and moons. Then, after decades of making sure they were just right, we went and colonized them."

Zoe patted Mal on the shoulder to show that she'd take over the talking, and he gave her the floor. "Now, the two main surviving powers were the Chinese and the Americans. That's why you hear Mal here talking a mix of those two languages. The thing about having those two empires mix together, was that it was two superpowers clashing. There was differences in culture, money, and just lifestyles in general. Eventually those kinks were ironed out, and there were two basic, although informal, groups that formed; the Core Planets, and the Rim Worlds. Now, those in the Core formed this government called the Alliance" Mal's face looked as if it had been made of stone. "And eventually, the Alliance thought that everyone, not just the Core worlds would be better under their rule.

"Then started the Unification War. When the Alliance started to reach out and try to dominate planets, well, some of them just weren't very happy. Those Rim planets formed the Independents. The battles were bloody and fierce, and after years of war, the Alliance eventually won out in a place called Serenity Valley on the planet of Hera. Now, Mal and I-"

Beckett interrupted. "Why do you keep calling him Mal? His name is Castle. Richard Edgar Castle."

Zoe chuckled. "As far as you know. But then again, you're also under the impression that I go by the name Jessica Pearson-"

Her sentence was cut off by a bang coming from below them. At that point, everyone shared the same thoughts. _Shit._

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><p>Mal immediately took charge. "Zoe. I need you to get Ryan and Esposito out. Do anything but go to the lower floor. I'll try and take Beckett and Alexis out a window." He paused looking at those from the 21st century. "You guys need to find some normal clothes." He jumped up and stealthily made his way to the closet that was embellished with golden Chinese characters. Flinging open the door, he chose four shirts and pairs of pants at random and tossed to the detectives and Alexis. "Get changed. Then do what Zoe or I tell you. Don't even think about going off on your own."<p>

As soon as the struggle of getting the new clothes on was over, Zoe took Ryan and Esposito and went out one of the two doors in the room. Mal threw on his jacket took Kate and Alexis out of the other.

"Castle! Castle!" Kate whisper-shouted. "You have _so _much explaining to do!"

Mal was starting to get a headache. "I know. But it can wait. Just act normal until then."

Spotting a side-room, he stealthily moved towards it, motioning for the others to follow. Silently opening the door, he saw that this room was far less fancy than the one they had woken up in, this probably an extra for guests and such. He crossed the room quickly despite his throbbing muscles and threw open the window. Looking down, he saw that they were only a floor up and going out the window would lead them into a dark alley covered with all sorts of debris.

Perfect.

Opening the drawers of the bureau next to the bed, he filtered through them until he got what he was looking for.

"Castle!" Beckett exclaimed at the same time Alexis said "Dad!"

He turned and glowered at them. "Listen you two. This is _not. The. Time. For. This." _Grabbing ammo from the same drawer of the gun that he had just stolen, he loaded it and stuck it in the inner pocket of his coat. It was a pity he didn't have his harness. He saw that the two women still looked furious.

"How did you know that was there, Castle?" Beckett demanded. "You're not even authorized to use it!"

Mal laughed darkly. "Oh Kate, I'm a better shot than you are. And everyone has a gun near them when they're asleep. You'd be stupid not to. We'll need this later."

He continued. "Now I'm gonna go ahead and jump down first. Alexis, I'm gonna need you to jump down after, I'll catch you. Kate, you go after her."

Despite their whispered protests, he jumped out the window, wincing at the impact on his already sore legs. Nodding up to Alexis, she hesitantly put both feet out the window, and once she finally worked up the nerve to jump, he caught her by the waist, and then repeated the process with Kate.

Once everyone was on solid ground, they sneaked out of the alleyway and onto the crowded sidewalk.

Throwing a sideways glance at Beckett and Alexis, Mal almost laughed. They looked so incredibly confused by all the different people, fashions, food, smells, and buildings, yet they were trying to act normal. It was quite cute.

Suddenly there was an alarm going off, and Zoe, Ryan and Esposito were running past them. Hearing the tell-tale clop of the Alliance boots, Mal took off as well. Seeing him bolt, Kate and Alexis followed his lead. Quickly catching up to Zoe, he led them up and around the corner, and into an old ship dealership, running between and around some ex-cruisers, the Alliance patrol members were soon lost. Everyone was gasping, but safe.

Mal chose to look on the bright side of things. "Well, at least now we can accomplish the next part of the plan!"

Everyone but Zoe looked at him as if he was insane. She nodded, and together they headed into the dealership building, leaving everyone else hiding out behind a large boat, and immediately saught out the manager.

Altering his accent so it sounded as if he was part of high society, mayhaps someone even Inara woulda seen, he spoke in his most snotty tones. "Excuse me sir, my wife and I would like to inquire as to where we can purchase a ship of...quality."

The manager looked wary. "Ya' don' look like you can affor' summat o' quality."

Mal's eyes flashed. "Surely you know who we are!"

Zoe broke in. "Do you live under a rock?"

The manager looked slightly interested now. "Why should I recogniz' ya' now?"

"The nerve of some!" huffed Zoe. "I can't believe this! Darling, let's take our business somewhere else. This man surely isn't competent enough for those of our stature."

"Now, _bao-bei,_ be patient. Perhaps he simply isn't well off enough to afford seeing one of our shows." Mal placated falsely. Turning his attention to the manager. "Due to our need for privacy from the public, I'm not going to say our names. That would lead to a mob of fans, which is the last thing that we want. But you, sir, should recognize us from the theater."

The man looked bashful. "Don' usually go to the theater much, now do I. I do apologize for not rec'nizin' ya' though sir, m'lady. Allow me ta' sho' ya our fines' merchindise."

Mal nodded. "That's more like it."

* * *

><p>A half hour later, they had seen and found a good boat, and as the man came back with the paperwork and start up codes, Mal took the revolver out of his coat pocket and aimed it at the man's head. Dropping his snotty accent he said,<p>

"Now y'all are gonna wanna get down on the ground nice and slow."

The terrified worker obliged, and Zoe patted him down for any weaponry. Finding none, she nodded at Mal and grabbed the start up codes from the pile of paper on the floor. Trading them with Mal for the gun, she nudged the man up and brought him outside. Mal was waiting by the door when she came back.

"Ready to go?" he smiled.

"As always, sir." she replied.

Walking over to the ship that hid his friends, Mal found all of them lying on the ground, with everyone but Esposito asleep. The detective smiled wearily. "Took you guys long enough. What were you doing?"

Mal smirked. "Getting a boat. Let's go. Get everyone up."

It took several minutes, but once everyone was up and following him, Mal led them to the ship that he and Zoe had just stolen. Zoe had already started her up, and she was up in the air and running beautifully within moments.

"How did you afford this Castle?" Ryan asked in amazement.

"He didn't." smirked Zoe. "We stole it."

All of the cops eyes bulged. Beckett looked like she was going to throw up. "That's why you needed the gun isn't it. So you could kill a man and steal his spaceship."

Mal sighed (it was becoming an annoying habit) "No Beckett. First off, don't say spaceship. Say ship, or boat. And second, I only threatened the man with the gun, Zoe knocked him out around back, and then we stole the ship. And now, we're heading to Beaumonde. Got some boys there who can maybe tell us where everyone else is."

Zoe smiled. "Fanty and Mingo?"

"Yup." He had just sat back flat in his chair when Beckett marched over and slapped him across the face. Zoe jumped up, looking murderous while Ryan, Esposito and Alexis just winced.

Mal turned his face back to the front and glared directly into Beckett's eyes, not saying a word. Beckett, of course, was glaring straight at him too.

"Tell. Us. What. Is. Going. On."

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><p><strong>Mal can't avoid talking about it this time! It's time for the whole story to come out. How our our true 21st century friends gonna deal with the news?<strong>


	4. Arguing

**A/N: I'm back! This chapter's two days late, but I have an excuse! Illness! Yaaaaay for illness! Just kidding, it sucks.**

**But anyway. Seriously guys? Two reviews? Not that I didn't appreciate those two, cause they were awesome and made my day, but you can do waaaaaay better than that. **

**Okay, pissy author moment over. I hope you guys like this, I'm not quite sure it's as strong as I thought it was gonna be.**

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><p>Mal stood up slowly. There was no Castle left in him now. Only Mal. Only the soldier who had lost everything. He was back, and it was going to be a rude wake up call.<p>

As Castle, he had been funny. Unthreatening, charismatic, and likeable. Though he was taller than Ryan and Esposito, and barely cleared Beckett when she was in heels, he was never imposing. Never scary, or overpowering, or daunting in any way.

But he wasn't Castle anymore. He stood over Kate, and she didn't see him. She didn't see the man she knew. She saw a hard, frightening person, not her partner. Her partner's face was never so empty, his eyes never cold at all- let alone the arctic temperature that they were at now. She shrank back, ever so slightly.

Mal took a single step forward and bridged the gap between them. "Now, back on Earth-that-was, in a time that was, I may just a' taken that lying down." He paused. "I won't do that here."

He looked over at Zoe, who's hand had been resting on her pistol since Kate took her first step towards him. "Seein' as we don't got Kaylee, someone's gotta go check the engine to make sure that she won't burn up the second that we hit atmo. I'm thinkin' that it best be me."

With that he strode out of the bridge, going down the small ladder and into the corridor that led to the quarters and engine room. Zoe straightened up from her position of leaning against the wall and settled down in the captain's chair.

She smirked at the still stunned faces of Mal's friends. "Now what would you like to know?"

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><p>About a half an hour later, Mal ran out of "things to do" down in the engine room. He made his way as slowly as humanly possible up the bridge. When he peeped his head over the ledge of the bridge, he wasn't surprised, but he wasn't pleased.<p>

Zoe was calmly sitting in the captain's chair, adjusting the heading. She was the only one doing anything that was even a semblance of normality.

Meanwhile, Alexis was staring, unblinkingly, at a wall across from where she was sitting on the floor. Her face was frighteningly blank, especially for her.

Ryan and Esposito were standing in the back corner of the room, whispering and using large hand motions.

Beckett was the worst. Like Alexis, she was sitting against a wall, but her face was an absolute thundercloud. He groaned internally before pulling himself the rest of the way up into the rather large area.

Once noticed, he was suddenly the subject of stares, but self-consciousness was a Castle trait, and he wasn't Castle anymore.

Though the looks they were giving him irked him, they also amused them in a very, _very_ small and remote and minute way. He glanced over at Zoe, who gave him a look as if to say

_Your problem. You're the reason that they're here._

He glared, and she shrugged and turned back towards the view screen with a smirk on her face.

Time to face the music. As he opened his mouth to speak, Alexis suddenly pounced on him.

"_How could you never tell me this?"_ She yelled. "How could you bring me here, and expect me to be _okay_ with this?"

Now _this_ made him angry. "Now what in the gorram hell was I supposed to do, Alexis? Tell you that I'm not even from the same _planet_ as you, never mind the same time period. Was I supposed to tell you that everything you ever knew about me, about Gram was a lie?

I was trying to raise you Alexis. I was doing my best as a father in a place that I didn't even belong in. I'm sorry. And then, _when _was I supposed to tell you, if I were to do so, that is. Was it when you were two or even six, when you would have told people? No. You, me, our whole family would be thrown in an asylum. Was it when you were ten? When you were already so smart and capable and set in your reality? Or later? Or sooner? When?"

His daughter was speechless for a minute before her face softened, the tiniest bit, and she _hmmmph_ed to the ground. The worst of that was over, but Mal still had three other people to deal with.

As he turned towards the other shimmering steel wall, the one housing the three detectives, he saw Esposito's mouth open to speak. He held up a hand to silence him. Taking a deep breath, he started.

"No y'all may wanna listen up. You're my best friends." Zoe swung around with an eyebrow raised, and Mal smiled. "Well, _some_ of my best friends. Even though I'd already been back there for more than a gorram decade, when you guys welcomed me into the 12th," He looked at Beckett and smirked. "with not so open arms, I found a home, somewhat like the one I lost back here.

Now we find ourselves in a dilemma. Just like I was stuck in your time, you're stuck in mine. Now y'all are welcome to stay." He paused. "That is if I get my boat back. That happens, y'all are welcome to stay aboard as part of the crew, or I'd be happy to drop ya off on any of the Rim worlds, Persephone or Boros or the likes. Or, we could do this the hard way, and try to get y'all back to your own time."

Zoe spoke up. "Though we'd take it as a kindness if you would go on and pick that first option. The second one makes for one of Mal's complicated plans that never exactly…pan out-"

"Hey!"

She continued as if Mal hadn't just interrupted her. "-and that could just lead to a whole mess. But still, your choice."

"I'll give you guys until we get back on Serenity to make your choice." Said Mal, not exactly sure which option would be best for anybody.

Mal turned to his daughter. "Honey, I can understand if you'd want to go back. But please, just consider staying with me here. The verse aint so bad once you get used to it." He tried at a crooked smile.

She looked conflicted. "Look Dad, I love you. But this is _a lot_ to take it. I'm not sure I can do it, but I'll think about it, okay?"

He nodded. "That's all I ask."

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><p>Several hours later, the ship's alarm started to beep. Though Mal and Zoe were calm, everyone else started to freak out.<p>

"Are we crashing?"

"What's going on?"

"We can't die! I have a fiancée!"

Zoe laughed. "Relax, you'll be fine. We just need to adjust the angle so that we can land. Then we'll be right as rain."

She was met with sighs of relief. Their naivety made her smile.

Mal stood by the viewport as he watched the planet rise up to meet them. He recalled something that River had said to him before he left for that fatal mission. Something he had put no real thought into, tossing it aside as one of her crazy moments that had been declining at a rapid rate since the discovery of Miranda.

"There was a bird. He soared above everything, into the great sky. But in the long, long winter, his wings shrunk. He forgot how to fly. Came spring, he was afraid to use his regrown wings. Though all he needed was to remember the first rule of flying."

A single tear rolled down the captain's cheek.

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><p><strong>AN: And that's a wrap! But seriously guys, review this time. Over a hundred read last chapter, I got two reviews. You can do better than that.**


	5. Fighting

**A/N: And I'm back! I know I missed Saturday. I'm actually gonna change this fic to being updated once a week, on Wednesdays. Just until life calms down a bit. **

**I hope you guys like this chapter! It took forever to write, but I'm proud of it :)**

**I also want to thank all the people who said that they broke their normal pattern of not reviewing, to review my story :) It means a lot :)**

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><p>This new ship unsettled him, Mal decided. It was just too ruttin' sleek and quiet. Even though it had been years since he had been on a ship, it should be easier to tell when it landed. There was only the slightest bump, not the huge shudder that he was used to from Serenity. Truth be told, no matter how smooth the thing flew or how sleek it looked, he would take his girl over it any day.<p>

With a sleek _woosh_, the door hissed down, opening them to the crowded, dirty streets of Beaumonde's capital city. Mal stepped out and was taken by a painful déjà vu. Looking at Zoe he could see she felt the same way, though her face was completely stoic.

Turning to his right, he saw that the other's looked relieved.

"Now this is more like it." Said Esposito. "This place almost smells like New York on a really rainy, smelly day." Ryan nodded his agreement.

"No y'all are gonna wanna stay real close to either me or Zoe the entire time we're here." Explained Mal. "This city can be none too friendly, and we don't want any casualties just yet. But keep your guns on you at all times, and be ready to use them in a second."

The streets had changed, but only slightly. Within fifteen minutes they were inside the same bar as they had been a decade ago. Unsurprisingly, it was almost exactly the same.

"Now Zoe, you got a response right?"

"Yes sir," She responded. "Waved us just before we touched down. Should be at just the same spot."

Mal nodded, checking the visible gun he was carrying (he had found two more six-shooters on the ship that were currently concealed under his coat) into the gun check before heading down the stairs. Looking up at the platform above him, he chuckled, remembering a certain 90 pound seventeen year old girl taking out a trained mercenary with hardly any effort.

Spotting the meeting place that was concealed by a call girl with two huge feather-fans, he motioned for his group to follow as he quickly strode over. Pushing back the feathers, he was very nearly visibly shocked by what he saw.

Fanty sat in front of him, with no sign at all of Mingo. Though the twin that Mal had once called "prettier" was now anything but. A long burn scar ran from his left eye, diagonally across his face all the way down to below his collar. The skin there was melted and white, his nose horribly disfigured, and his eye almost completely shut. All the same, a small smile came to his face upon the sight of Mal.

"Huh."

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><p>After sitting down, there was about a minute of silence before Mal spoke up, wearing his trademark straight face.<p>

"So, Fanty, you wanna tell me what happened to Mingo?"

"Now how's that you know I'm Fanty, precious? I'm Mingo."

"Nah, at this point I'd say Mingo took over as the prettier one."

The British twin's face contorted into what might have been a grimace. "Fine, love. You got me. Mingo was killed in a Reaver attack few months back. That's how I got me this fine mark." He gestured to the scar running down his face.

Mal allowed his cool and calm façade to slip into anger. "Reavers? Here? In Beaumonde? This is ridiculously far outside of their territory!"

He turned to his right and saw that Zoe had on her default stoic mask. Only someone who knew her well could tell that she was horrified. The others just looked confused. He gave them a look which conveyed _I'll explain it later._ By the look on Beckett's face, that was not what she wanted to happen.

Fanty's eyes flickered to the assembled group before going back to Mal. "So tell me, where have you been all this time while there's been a war on _Sergeant?_"

Mal scowled. "You know I woulda been here if I could have Fanty. But as I recall, we came to do business. Where's my boat?"

The look on Fanty's face may have resembled a leer, had the muscles worked properly. "Now, now precious. No need to get crotchety. I was just curious is all. You got four green looking folks over there, and the word was that the Alliance had sent you somewhere you'd never come back. I's just curious how you did it's all."

Mal's face was dead serious as he leaned across the table. Procuring a small leather notebook from one of the numerous inner pockets of his coat, he slid it across the table, almost into Fanty's outstretched hands. "Payment. Carbon dated from Earth-that-was. Should sell pretty high on the antiques market. I'll even give you the name of a fellow willing to get his hands on summat like that. But only," he jerked the book away as Fanty's hands darted out to grab it. "if you tell me what I want to know. Where in the name of all the gorram worlds is my boat?"

Fanty hissed, and his accent grew thicker. "Fine then. 'Ave it your way. Las' I 'eard, Serenity was docked somewhere near Aberdeen, restocking supplies for the Browncoats."

Mal smirked slightly to hide the uncomfortable memories that were niggling up inside his chest. As he stood up, he dropped the book into Fanty's greedy little hands. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Turning on his heel, he walked past Zoe, the team, and Alexis straight to the stairs without looking back.

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><p>Once they were back underway, Mal and Zoe retreated to a back corner of the lounge area to discuss tactics. They both ignored the questions of their guests, until it was apparent that mutiny was eminent.<p>

Mal stood up and approached the angry group of people.

"Now again, I'm saying this, something that I said I wouldn't be saying again. Y'all need to listen up. We got a ship to find, a war to navigate around, and gorram Reavers zippin' around like flies. So it would be taken as a kindness if y'all could let Zoe n' me finish our plannin' so that we may have the slightest chance of livin'."

Though Alexis and Kate looked ready to burst with a presumed mixture of questions and anger, Ryan beat them to it.

"Castle, Mal, Sergeant Reynolds- whoever you are- all we want are some straight forward answers. I mean, this is something out of science fiction! We're on a _space-ship_. Supposedly in the year- what? 2516? And those of us who _aren't _originally from said time period have _no idea at all what you are talking about ninety percent of the time._ So if you wouldn't mind explaining to us what in the hell is going on, maybe we could _help_ you."

The short Irish detective was panting after his tirade and Esposito patted him on the back.

"He's right, man. We deserve some answers from you."

Anger flashed across Mal's face. "What is it exactly you be wantin' to know? Zoe explained most of it, I answered some questions afterwards. Some very rudely asked questions at that, I might add." At the looks on their faces he took a deep breath and started again.

"Look, I know all of ya are used to me behavin' a tad different-"

"And talkin' different too." Interrupted Kate, while the others tried to hide their snickering. Mal glared at her before continuing.

"-but we're not in a time or a place where I can behave that way. We're here, and I need to be Mal. I can't be Castle. They's very different people."

Alexis glared. "So, in essence, you're saying that you have to be a hardened criminal and soldier now. You can't be my dad anymore."

Mal looked stricken (or at least his version of stricken). "O' course not Alexis. All's I'm sayin' is until we get to Serenity, I'm gonna have to be different than what you're used to, break a few more rules."

"More different than you already are, Castle?" Kate spat. "Or am I even allowed to call you that? Maybe I shouldn't, considering everything you ever told us was a lie. Everything!" She looked disgusted. "And to think…"

Mal's face immediately went hard again and his voice level raised several notches from what it was before. "And to think what, Beckett? That you cared for who I was as Castle? Well what do you know? Mayhaps I-"

"_Bizue! Nee mun doh shr shiao duh…bizue."_ Zoe snapped. "You are giving me a headache." She glanced at the detectives. "Now you all should be able to understand that even if he _wanted_ to tell you, which you should consider he may not have wanted to, he _couldn't_ tell you without getting mocked or chucked in an asylum. Do you even listen to yourselves?" She stopped and took a breath. "Now, I'm a fan of the government from back in your day far more than I'm a fan of the one we got here, but it's lookin' to me like idiocy is a requirement for law enforcement officers." This earned her a glare from the entire group, including Mal. "What? Just being honest. Take a second to _think_ about what you're mad at the Cap'n for, afore you get all crotchety."

The glares did soften slightly as they took a moment to consider her words. Seeing this, Zoe nodded and turned to Alexis. "Now, darlin', there's no doubt in my mind that your daddy wanted to tell you who he really was. But you're a smart girl. Think of what it would have sounded like for him to say that he came from a futuristic space." Alexis had the good sense to look somewhat shamed.

Interrupting the moment, Beckett spoke just as Zoe was opening her mouth to continue. "Excuse me, but who asked you to jump into the conversation?"

This was met with several cries of "Beckett!" from the men, and Zoe turning to look directly at the detective.

"I mean, I get that you have some sort of history with…" She trailed off, unsure how to refer to Mal. "Him. But that doesn't mean you get to treat us like we're less intelligent than you and…" She trailed off at the look on Zoe's face.

The dark skinned woman stepped forward slowly, until she and Beckett were almost nose to nose. It was unsettling for Beckett that the woman was taller than her, due to the fact that the detective wasn't in her heels.

"Now I'm gonna tell you this once, and only once." Said Zoe with a deadly air of calm. "I am from here. I grew up here. I fought here. I pulled jobs here. I have a life here, a family here. Back in your time, we may have been of equal intelligence. But here? Here, I'm smarter than you. I know the things you don't. How not to get eaten by Reavers. How to not get hired by the wrong folk." Mal snorted, but she ignored him. "How to not end up shot dead at the end of a job. So it'd be in your best interest to stop speaking so much, and at least _try_ to listen. You might not end up dead that way."

Ryan raised his hand timidly, and Mal chuckled before addressing him. "Yes Ryan, do you have a question?"

"What's a Reaver?"

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><p><strong>And that's a wrap! Remember to review review review! :)<strong>

**Oh, and also Karma22's a boss, cause she pretty much cheered me through this chapter, which took unbearably long to write.**

**P.S. ...**

**REVIEW! :) Each one makes me smile! And a happy author= a productive author!  
><strong>


	6. Talking

**A/N: Hi! Long time no see! Sorry for such a long wait guys, finals are here, and they are absolutely murderous. Also, my laptop broke and is still yet to be fixed, so I've been hammering this out sporadically on my iPod and my mom's computer (ick...it's from the 90's :P). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I tried to make it extra long because I've been gone!**

**Oh, and this story is no longer un-beta-ed. Mr. Procrastinadian has been kind enough to take me under her wing and patch up my writing when it gets a little thin. Thanks to her edits, this chapter no longer sucks :) Enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>Around two hours after Zoe had (quite bluntly) answered Ryan's question, which had sent both him and Alexis running to the bathroom to puke, they were closing in on the planet. Mal was sitting alone in the only back room that had a feed from the view port on the bridge.<p>

Though it didn't show to anyone but Zoe (partly because she knew him so well, partly because the others only knew Castle) he was nervous. What if something had happened? What if someone left the ship? What if something happened to Serenity?

Suddenly he realized he didn't even know who was captaining his ship. Assuming Jayne had survived, it would be him seeing as he had his whole "chain of command" worked out, but the last thing they knew was that he was stuck in an Alliance trash receptacle. If he hadn't made it, would it be Wash? Kaylee? Somehow, he couldn't see neither of them as having the stomach to go to war.

Then something else occurred to him, and he hit the button that would intercom him to the bridge.

"Zoe!"

It was a minute before her voice buzzed down over the somewhat staticky line. "Yes, sir?"

"What year is it?"

He could hear her surprise through the silence. "I...don't know, sir. Give me a minute, there's gotta be something on here that says the date."

A few minutes later, she was back. "Sir...it's only been two years."

Mal's face paled. "As in, two years since we were sent back? Two years since the war started? Two years since Miranda?"

"Since we got sent back, sir. Fifteen years for us, two for them."

"_Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng_. Well this is gonna be interesting, considering we both look a bit older than we did thirteen years ago."

"Not so much of a problem for you, sir, considering you only gained maybe a wrinkle or two. I got all kinds a' things you don't even want to know about going on, and I still got a husband to return to."

Mal grimaced. "You're right. I don't know those things, and I have no inclination to. Let's keep it that way."

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><p>A few minutes later, Mal left his little back room and headed towards the bridge. He was going as quick as he could without running when he heard something.<p>

Someone crying.

It couldn't be Zoe, because firstly, she was up on the bridge, and second she didn't cry. Ever. It couldn't be Ryan or Esposito either, it sounded far to feminine. That left two people, Kate and Alexis.

Mal moved forward slowly, more quietly, his stomach growing heavier with each step. The only room off of this corridor was a closed door to his right. Pressing the button to the left of it and typing in the ship's universal passcode on the touch screen that then popped out, he unlocked the door and slid it aside, and his heart sunk as he saw a woman curled into a corner, crying her eyes out.

A woman with dark brown hair and clothes that didn't quite fit in with their current time.

"Beckett...", he said softly. She appeared not to hear him. He cleared his throat quietly and spoke a little louder. "Kate."

She looked up sharply and hastily rubbed at her swollen eyes. Clearing her throat she croaked out "What do you want Cas-...Mal-...whatever I should call you."

Mal groaned inwardly. "Call me either name. Whichever makes you more comfortable, I'll answer to it."

She nodded and rubbed her hand over her face again. "What do you want?"

Mal smirked. "Really, Beckett, don't you know me at all? My white night complex is far to engorged to pass a damsel in distress."

The detective smiled shakily for a minute before scowling. "Do I know you at all...Mal?"

Mal was quick to respond. "Of course you know me. I was your partner, your best friend for three years-"

"But you were also secretly from the future, secretly not only a murderer, but a thief and a fugitive of the law, and an ex-sergeant who fought in a _war_." She made a point to tick off each thing on a finger. "The man I knew would never have pointed a gun at anyone in anything that wasn't self defense, never mind willingly enlist in a war." Beckett took a shaky breath. "So no. I don't know if I know you."

There was a moment of silence, and neither could look at the other.

"He was who I would have been."

Beckett met his eye momentarily. "What?"

Mal looked uncomfortable, in his own way. "When I was...Castle...He's who I wanted to be."

"What do you mean?"

Mal looked away. "I was young when war came to Shadow- my home world. I was just out of school, and eager to protect what was mine against those _ta mah duh hwoon dahn _purplebellies, so I enlisted. By the time the war ended, I had killed so many, seen so many die. I lost who I was, I lost my faith, I lost all of my family, I lost anything that might've ever been mine. In that last battle, the Battle of Serenity, I lost almost the entire platoon of 2000 that I commanded. I got so warped on the inside that I wasn't me anymore.

There's something that all the survivors of Serenity Valley know, but many don't get. Once you've been in Serenity, you never leave." His eyes flickered up from the spot that they had been glued to on the floor to meet hers. "I like to think that if I hadn't gone into that war, if I'd grown up on Shadow like normal people did and gone onto a normal- at least somewhat legal- life, I would have been something like I was when I was being Castle. That's who I wanted to be."

This time when he looked up, he held her gaze. Beckett opened her mouth to speak when suddenly Zoe's voice came over the speaker.

_"Listen up everyone, we're hitting atom. Since we're running slightly hot and getting low on fuel cells it may be a tad bumpy. I advise y'all to grab a hold of something."_

Mal's face, which had been bordering on emotional, cleared. "Listen, I should get up there…see if we've got a lock on the location. Serenity's pilot knows how to be damn near invisible when he wants to be."

Beckett cleared her throat. "Uhh...yeah, I get it. Go ahead."

Mal was out the door before he turned his head to the side and spoke again. "Kate, if you do want to go back, I'll make sure you can. You have a right to any life you want."

The door _wooshed_ shut.

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><p>A young woman, perhaps 20 years old walked gracefully around an old rickety ship. One arm was stuck out, with fingers trailing along the cool metal wall, and her head was cocked to the side. She peered into rooms as she passed them, seeing the bright balls of energy floating around, hearing the familiar whispers of thoughts. She was not yet bored enough to begin delving into the minds of others, but she was beginning to feel the pull to do so.<p>

Suddenly she stilled, and her eyes widened.

She felt it. An energy she hadn't felt in years, a voice that she missed with all her being.

She smiled wide and hurried off towards the engine room. Time to make that voice come home.

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><p>Back on the bridge, the sight of the sun peeking over the side of the planet was so beautifully familiar that the déjà vu almost knocked Mal off his feet.<p>

"Huh."

Zoe whipped around in the chair, surprised at his silent entrance. She grinned. "Now where was that sneak when we were fighting a war, sir?"

Mal scoffed. "I still maintain that it is funner to go in crazy-like and make 'em fear."

She turned back around and _"mmmhmmmm_-ed" him. He put his arms on the back of her chair and leaned forward on it.

"You got any read yet on where she might be?"

Zoe's face was grim when she shook her head. "No sir. I've scanned the planet twice already, and there were Nav-sats all over the place. They're all probably far away from where she actually is too."

"What about a pulse beacon?"

Zoe shook her head again. "Found three of those, sir, all in places where Serenity couldn't possibly be. I'm not sure we're gonna find her this way." She glanced at the touchscreen in front of her. "Plus, we need to land soon. Gettin' a mite too low on fuel cells for comfort."

Mal nodded. "Scan it one more time. If you don't find anything unique enough to signal that it's really her, we'll dock and see if we can track her down the old fashioned way."

Zoe nodded and her fingers began to fly over the keys. Perhaps ten tense minutes passed in silence, before she spoke.

"Sir," Mal's body tensed up even more, so she hurried to finish her sentence "There's something new. A message, going out on all channels. It's soft, you have to go deep in to even find it, but it just popped up."

Mal straightened up. "Play it out."

Zoe keyed it up, and turned the volume as far up as it would go.

_"It is time that the little bird remembers his rule, and returns to his home. Returns to his sky."_

Mal closed his eyes and smiled. That incredible little albatross.

"Trace it Zoe. Trace it, and go there immediately."

He turned to leave the bridge, and was halted by Zoe's voice. "Care to share what that was, sir?"

Mal shook his head, and answered softly, "Just trace it Zo. Sooner you do, the sooner we're home."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you liked it! And I really do apologize about the delay. And I _promise_ that they will get to Serenity in the next chapter. For sure.**

**Anyway, REVIEW!  
><strong>


	7. Preparing

**Hi guys! I am sososososososososo SO sorry that I have been away for so long. I got myself into a hole, and I forgot to stop digging, so I've been trying to devise a way out. **

**And then there was this chapter. It has been giving me headaches since the day it was conceived. I was planning to do one thing, but ended up going in a completely different direction. Both myself and this chapter were then rescued by my fabulous beta, Procrastinadian. He is fantastic, and gave me phenomenal and very timely feedback even when I couldn't return the favor. Thank you so much :)**

**Also, I owe a HUMONGOUS thank you to all of the people who read, subscribed, favorited, and reviewed even when it was obvious that the last update was a really long time ago. You guys rock, and each one goaded me to right just a little more until this was eventually finished. Thank you so much for your amazing support, letting me know that even after weeks people would still care where I was going with this.**

**Well enough sentimentality, let's get on to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: All the usual stuff. Don't own it, wish I did.**

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><p>A tall, well-muscled man stood in the shadows, a smaller, more timid looking man to his right and a large crate at his feet. They waited patiently there, for almost a half an hour before a short man with a cheap looking suit and a bowler hat sidled up to them, three imposingly large men standing behind him.<p>

The stocky man grunted and nudged the crate over with his foot. "Took you long enough. May need to discuss a little raise in the pay."

The hatted man smirked. "Not likely." He said in his thick cockney accent.

The other man stepped out of the shadows, his muscles rippling. His voice was low and threating as he spoke. "May I remind you _Mister_ Badger what happened to your…" he trailed off for the lack of the right word.

"Little buddies?" The shorter, blonde man stepped up behind his friend.

The taller man grinned. "Little buddies, last time you declined to give us the credits we deserved?"

Badger barked out a high pitched laugh, and his eyes began to shift from side to side. His thugs began to stir, stepping up around him, but he waved them down. "Now I though' that was jus' a lil' misunderstandin'." He hid his anxiety very poorly. "We clear'd tha' up."

The short blonde man snorted. "Yes. We cleared that particular "misunderstandin'" up," he paused, and suddenly despite his small and meek stature, he looked more frightening than his hulking companion. "However a "misunderstandin'" now, is quite different from the one then. Do you understand my meaning?"

Badger nodded demurely, and the blonde snorted.

"It's been a long time since you were on top, Badger. I wouldn't go pushing your luck."

The accented man nodded again and reached inside his jacket, pulling a small pouch out. The tall man cleared his throat, and Badger reached back into his jacket, and brought back a handful of purple and green bills. He thrust out his hand, and the blond man grabbed the money and stuffed it in the pouch.

Backing away with his companion he chuckled darkly.

"Remember to call us for the next shipment, Rodent-man!"

Once they were safely out of sight, Badger nearly shouted his frustrations.

"They're almost worst dealing with now than when they had Reynolds!"

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><p>River sat on a mat of pillows in Shuttlepod Two, waiting with Simon for Jayne and Wash to return from the drop off. Even without using her…talents…she could tell that her brother was bored. He was jiggling his leg, cabin fever already beginning to set in.<p>

She checked her internal clock, and smiled dreamily. It was almost time.

The young psychic steadied her mind, and went to her special spot in her head. She was standing at the edge of her family's old property, peeking over the edge of a cavernous trench.

Her feet were bare, and she cautiously toed the cliff. This was the hard part.

Slowly, with all the grace she could muster within her thin, dancer's body, River assumed the position, her legs spread on the dusty ground exactly one foot apart, her arms raised to her chest.

Then she jumped, falling into the madness that awaited her.

* * *

><p>Mal and Zoe strode through the crowds, their strides confident and fluid. The others stumbled a few steps behind, trying (unsuccessfully) to mimic the energy and assertiveness that flowed from the two leaders.<p>

Alexis was panting in the heat of the summer day of the dry planet, and her heavy clothes weren't making her movements as quick as she would have liked them to be. While the others were walking quickly, she was at a near jog.

She was, therefore, caught off-guard when her father stopped short in front of her and stumbled backwards, falling on her butt.

When her dad turned around, she was surprised to see a twinkle in his eye and a small smirk on his face. His expression was more akin to the person she had grown up with, rather than this stranger that had suddenly taken his place. He extended his hand, and she smiled, reaching up tentatively to grasp it.

Mal smiled fully as he pulled her up, and Alexis realized something.

He's not exactly my dad, but he's not exactly who he came off to be either. A sort of in between.

Struck by the sudden urge for human contact, the red head brushed off her back, and then leaned into her father's side and wrapped her arms around him. She felt him stiffen before relaxing, and putting an arm around her shoulders.

Alexis felt more than saw his smile, and it made her happy. They just stood like that for a moment before Esposito coughed and asked,

"What are we doing?"

Mal's arm came off Alexis' shoulder and he turned around, his smile still in place.

"That's a fine question my friend. We're admirin'."

Ryan stepped in. "Admiring…what exactly?

Mal looked somewhat offended. "What exactly is it that we've come all this way to see? My boat!"

Kate, who had been somewhat quiet, sullen even, stepped up to look over his shoulder.

"Which one is she?"

Ahead of them, there was a vast, dusty expanse of reddish dirt, spotted with spaceships every two hundred yards or so. Zoe turned to the detective, and Alexis almost jumped in shock. The unflappable, extremely stoic woman was smiling softly, as if beholding her child. Silently, she lifted her arm and pointed to one of the closer ships, and Alexis felt a sinking feeling within her chest.

It was a small, rusty freighter. She hadn't even been in the world for a week, yet she knew that. Yet her father looked like he was going to cry tears of joy. Was this really what he was willing to leave her home, their home, for?

She was just about to ask when Mal and Zoe fell to their knees clutching their temples.

* * *

><p>River's consciousness floated about, not quite connected to her body. She was aware that Simon would be fretting over her at that very moment, but she didn't really care. There was work to do.<p>

As her mind drifted through the streets, she studied the myriad of energies that floated around her. Some were red and orange, heated and ready to lash out, while others were shades of blue and purple and a light soothing green, cool and flowing. She reached out to one, a swirling mass of grassy colors, and could feel the pulse of the pleasantly warm energy against her hand.

Remembering where she was, and why she was there, she snapped her arm away. This place was tempting, too tempting. She could stay in here, waste the days away, get lost again. But she wouldn't. Not now. Now was not her time.

She had a job to do.

Quickening her pace, and straying as far away from the tempting orbs as possible, she made it to the edge of town.

There she saw it; that energy. A deep green, like dark branches at the bottom of a towering pine tree, with strains of a deep earthy brown and flecks of sparkling gold swirling near the center. It was earthy and solid and warmed her from head to toe. It felt like home.

It was Mal. Their Cap'n. Their guiding star.

There were five others surrounding him, four were unfamiliar. Directly to his right, however, was the deep, marbled blue that belonged to Zoe Washburne. River smiled. Wash would be so pleased to not only have his wife back, but also not have to lead anymore.

Swerving between the unfamiliar lights, River walked right up to Mal and Zoe and extended her hands. Taking a deep breath, she plunged one into each orb, and was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Stop struggling.<em>

Mal winced in pain as a voice boomed inside his head. He was vaguely aware that someone was shaking him, voices were calling his name, calling Zoe's name, but he couldn't unclamp his eyelids.

A familiar giggle rang out, followed by a softer _Sorry, that was somewhat loud. Welcome back Mal, Zoe. I'm gratified to know that you are well._

_River..._

The voice giggled again. _Why Captain...I'm insulted that it took you that long._

_Mal..._Zoe's voice joined in, sounding strained._ What's going on?_

_I have no idea. Ask lil' miss psychic._

River giggled again._ We've missed you two..._

_We miss y'all too. Is everyone aboard the ship?_ Zoe responded eagerly.

A sense of sadness washed over Mal. _No...they're gone. We're gone. On a drop. It's me, Simon, Wash, and Jayne. We took a shuttle across the city to drop some goods for Badger, and Kaylee went with Inara to an...appointment. But you won't get to see us today. You have to do something first..._

Mal was cautious when responding. _Lil' Albatross...you know we'll do anything for this crew, but we've been out o' the game a long time..._

River's tone turned desperate. _You need to rescue us Mal. In exactly ten minutes, we will be taken. The others won't find us, but you will. You know how, and you can pull it off._

_River, honey, you need to tell Wash and Jayne and your brother. Go tell them, while there's still time to escape._ Zoe sounded desperate.

River's voice was colored with sympathy, and a bit of hopelessness._ I can't. We escape, we die. I've seen the futures, all outcomes. This is the best. Then despite the dire circumstances, her tone was full of good humor. And now, you'll get the grand entrance that you both love so dearly._

Mentally, Mal nodded. If she said that there was no other option, there truly wasn't. He hadn't known River as a sane person for too long before he had gone back, but he knew enough to know that her judgment was true. _What do you need us to do?_

He felt River smile. _Good. Here's your plan..._

* * *

><p>Beckett was panicking. Cas-<em>Mal<em> and she hadn't been on the absolute best of terms lately, but she had no desire for anything to happen to him. That Zoe woman either. She had grown to have a grudging respect for her- the woman was pretty badass.

Despite her wishes, however, the two were on their knees, clutching their heads in what appeared to be intense pain.

Alexis was shouting at her father, shaking him, trying to get him out of whatever trance he had entered into, and Kate soon joined her. After a few minutes of useless shaking and shouting that served only to draw strange stares from the fringes of the crowd behind them, Kate gave up, pulling a sobbing Alexis to her feet and holding her close.

"Shhh...Alexis, honey, it's gonna be alright...come on now..." Kate gently rocked the teenager from side to side and ran her hands through the girl's long red hair. "It'll be okay, calm down..." The detective felt a small victory as Alexis' sobs quieted, and then turned into mere hiccups. She then pulled back and looked at her face, brushing away some stray tears with the pads of her thumbs.

"W-what h-happened-d to th-them?" she stuttered. "Wh-why won't he w-wake up-p?"

Kate pulled her close again, stroking the back of her head. "I don't know, honey. I'm scared too. But it's gonna be okay, you got that? Everything will be fine. You just have to calm down, and think clearly."

They stayed like that for another few minutes, until Alexis could breathe again and Kate's chest didn't feel quite so tight.

Turning around, the detective saw Ryan and Esposito squatted down next to their two catatonic friends, gently shaking them and trying to wake them up. When they saw her gaze, they both shrugged and began to stand. Beckett might have found the tandem of their movements funny at another time.

"Beckett..." Esposito began. "What are we gonna do? Not like we know anyone around here, or even how to get into the ship, never mind get off the planet and back to our own time period."

Beckett hesitated. "I don't know Javi. I have no clue." She glanced over at Mal and Zoe, they were still on their knees clutching at their heads. "But we'll figure it out."

Ryan looked back and forth between Beckett and Alexis before grabbing Beckett by the arm and pulling her off to the side.

"Castle, Mal, whatever you want to call him is a fugitive. A famous one at that. So is Zoe." He paused, looking troubled, but then pushed on. "Maybe we could...turn them in. For a bounty."

The magnitude of shock and betrayal that she had felt when Castle revealed that his life with them was a lie had nothing on what she was feeling now. She stared Ryan down and he began to squirm.

"How can you _say_ that? He is our _friend_! Or did you just forget the past 4 years, all the cases that he's cracked, all the time he's spent with us?"

Ryan drew himself up. "A friend that _lies_ to us, _to the whole world_, about who he is for 17 years Beckett? That's who you're defending? I wasn't the one who got us stuck in this mess. It was him!"

Beckett looked at him, and her gaze was ice cold. "I thought I knew you Kevin. I really thought I did. I guess not though, because the man I thought I knew would never do that. Not to his worst enemy. And Mal isn't our enemy. He stuck with us, kept us informed, kept us _safe_ despite all of the crap we've given him for a deception that was necessary."

Ryan had the good sense to look ashamed, and opened his mouth to speak. He was interrupted, however, by a choking sound that was followed by a cry of _"DAD!"_

Kate shot Ryan one last look of disgust before turning back to the rest of her friends. Mal and Zoe were coughing and gasping for air, and Alexis was hanging around her father's neck, but other than that, everyone seemed alright.

Mal stood up, hugging his daughter while he did, before kissing her on the forehead and letting go. He pulled Zoe up, and then made eye contact with both her and Kate.

"I believe...that it's time for some marginally thrilling heroics."

* * *

><p>Hoban "Wash" Washburne made his way back to the shuttlepod, Jayne Cobb in his tow.<p>

"Hey, you guys will never believe how incredibly stupid Badger is…" Wash began, climbing into the side door. He stopped abruptly at the sight that lay before him.

River was pacing up and down the short perimeter of the cabin, her hair and eyes wild, muttering to herself. Simon looked utterly beaten and was collapsed on one of the seats, his head leaned back against a wall and his left arm cradled in his right.

As Jayne clambered into the shuttle and closed the door with a slam, he looked at Wash (who was frozen in place) and then back and forth between the two siblings.

"What in the name of _yī wú shí chŭ de niú mā_ is going on here?"

Simon looked up, his expression a mixture of despair and annoyance. "She's reverted."

Jayne narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, _reverted_?"

"Are there more than one definitions of the word reverted?" The doctor snapped. "Because I was only aware of one. Unless, of course, you need me to define it because you weren't intelligent enough to understand what it meant."

Jayne made a threatening move towards Simon, and Wash shook himself out of his shock, jumping in to diffuse the situation.

He laughed nervously. "Now, now, there's no need for physical violence. I mean, I like knocking Jayne's IQ as much as the next guy, but we'd just, you know, like to know what happened to your sister in the hour we were gone."

Simon deflated, and winced as he rested his left arm against his legs and ran the fingers of his right through his hair. "I have no clue. She was fine, just as lucid as she has been the past two years, and then she's gone-reverted back to babbling nonsense."

Wash looked quite unhappy. "That…is not good news at all. We need her! The only reason they trusted us with this mission is because of her. And since we don't have…" he swallowed hard. "them, and we never will, she's the key. She's seen inside their minds, she knows what they would do."

Simon looked angry again. "You think I don't know that? I tried to give her an injection, one of the emergency cocktails that we made, and this is what I got for that effort!" He gestured to his injured arm. "Apparently, she did not lose her self-defense skills along with her mind."

Suddenly, River stopped short in her tracks and stared straight ahead at a wall, her lips frantically mouthing silent words too quickly for anyone to understand. Her eyes were wide open, and all motion ceased within the small area. Slowly, a smile took over her lips, and she sighed. Her eyes drifted closed, and she sank slowly to the floor landing cross-legged with her arms resting atop her knees. The three men looked at each other uneasily. Several minutes later, Simon broke the stillness and moved to kneel by her side.

The doctor tentatively reached out and stroked his sister's hair, and her eyes fluttered open.

They were once again clear and lucid, alight with happiness. Simon almost collapsed with happiness and Wash let out a sigh of relief. Jayne even looked somewhat pleased.

"_Mei mei_, what happened? You've been fine, you haven't had any episodes in over two years. Did the Alliance get new tech?" Simon fretted.

River laughed lightly. "No silly. I did it myself. The good of the many, and all that. I could afford to appear insane for an hour or so to help."

Jayne muscled his way towards her. "To help who? Ya certainly weren't helpin' us," his hands clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. "After all we've done fer you an' your brother, you ain't 'bout to go betrayin' us t' the Alliance, now are ya?"

River's face turned stony with anger and disgust. "Never you _liou coe shway duch biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh ur-tze_. Helping our side, our mission."

Wash opened his mouth to speak, but Simon waved him off. He then turned slowly to his sister, and spoke to her slowly, as one would do with a small child.

"River, who are you talking about? We're the only Independents in this hemisphere, never mind this city. Whoever you think you're helping probably isn't actually on our side, they've just fooled you into thinking that. Do you remember their name?"

River scoffed at his tone. "Don't be such a _BUN tyen-shung duh ee-DWAY-RO_. Of course they're on our side. They've always been. They were on our side before we were on our side."

"_They_? As in _more than one person?_"

Wash, sensing from the murderous look on Jayne's face that disaster was afoot, stepped in.

"River, _bao-bei_, can you give us they're names? Just so we can be sure that they're on our side."

River paused, and looked the pilot in the eye for a moment, and her unwavering gaze made him uneasy.

"You'll get your proof," she whispered. "You know them. You know them far better than you can imagine. They bring new ones, but they will help, and some may even stay." River paused and blinked, shaking her head to clear her mind of the void she had allowed it to venture into.

"They will save us."

Wash was beginning to get impatient. "River, this is not the time for riddles! Who are they? Who are you helping? What are they saving us from?"

"Hey!" Simon snapped. "She just went from lucid to insane to lucid in the course of an hour and a half. Give her a break!"

River smiled, a hauntingly sad smile that gave the three men chills. "Simon, my big brother…there is no time for breaks. We're at war," she paused, her face settling into a thoughtful expression. Under her breath, she began to count. "Five...Four..."

"What the hell is she doing?" Jayne asked, panicked.

"Three..."

Simon lightly grabbed her shoulders, gently shaking her. "_Mei mei_, are you okay?"

"Two..."

Rivers lips began to shape the word "One" as a small, round cartridge broke through a window, and the room filled with a green gas. Everything went black.

* * *

><p><em>Chinese Translations:<em>

__yī wú shí chŭ de niú mā: name of useless elephant shit__

__mei mei: little sister__

__bao bei: sweetheart__

___liou coe shway duch biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh ur-tze: stupid son of a drooling whore and a monkey___

____BUN tyen-shung duh ee-DWAY-RO: stupid inbred sack of meat____

____Four out of these five were actually used in Firefly. No joke.____

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><p><strong>And that's all she (I?) wrote! For now anyway :)<strong>

**And since they did _ technically _make it to Serenity, I didn't break the promise I made in the last chapter :) Mwahahahaha**

**Anyway, you guys know the drill, and you did a great job of it while I was gone all that time:**

**REVIEW! They make my day and speed up the process. **


	8. Meeting

**Hey there everyone *sheepish look*. Can I start off this chapter, like I have the past couple chapters, by saying how extremely sorry I am for not posting sooner? Seriously. I can't even joke about it, that's how long it's been. Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with this and subscribed, reviewed, and favorited even though it's been the fanfiction equivalent of eternity since this was updated. You guys rock. Seriously.**

**Anyway, because I felt so bad about this being so terribly late, this is at least two times as long as it usually would be. Enjoy :)**

**All the usual disclaimers.**

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><p>Mal leaned back against his ship and closed his eyes. This was his home. His <em>Serenity.<em> The one true place in all the worlds in all the verses in all the timelines where he belonged.

Yet he couldn't get in. Nope. Kaylee, and presumably it was Kaylee, she was the only one who had the sense or the know-how to pull it off, had bypassed his override and changed the lock codes. Every. Damn. One. So here they were, come so far, and gotten so close, only to be locked out by his own damn engineer.

Cursing hotly, he pushed himself off the rusted metal and began to pace, ignoring the stares from Beckett and co. from their seats on the dusty ground. He spun around to Zoe, seeing that she was in a similar state of aggravation.

"Don't you have nothin' you can do 'bout this Zoe?"

She glared at him. "Why would I have any idea more than you, sir? If memory serves, it's _your_ ship. I just live on it."

Mal glared right on back. "Well, I don't know, considering you're hitched to the gorram _pilot_ I thought you mighta picked up some info that might be pertinent to our situation."

Out of the corner of his eye, Mal saw Beckett's head shoot up. Having seen that happen over many breakthrough in many a case, he habitually turned to his former partner. Seeing the expectant look on his face, Beckett hesitated and flushed a light pink.

Mal cocked his head. "Something to share, Beckett?"

The detective cleared her throat awkwardly. "It's nothing Mal. We," she glanced around at the others. "or, at least _I_, was under the impression that you and Zoe were…err…married, or you know…at least together."

It was quiet for a moment before both Zoe and Mal broke into laughter. Beckett's face grew redder as their laughter roared louder, and Esposito and Ryan began to look around nervously, afraid that the noise would draw attention from any people that might be lurking about in the shadows behind one of the massive ships.

Several moments passed before the former soldiers could bring their volume down to that of mere chuckles. Once Mal had caught his breath, he wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes.

"Nah. Zoe n' I aren't hitched. Not all the money in the verse could get me stuck with this stubborn ol' mule for the rest of my life." Mal jostled his old friend playfully.

Zoe mock glared at him and nudged him with her elbow. "And why would I ever condemn myself to spending all that time with this cranky geezer? I much prefer my large, semi-muscular pilot thank you very much."

The whole group was smiling now, though Beckett's smile was tinged with embarrassment. The mood was a far cry from what it had been just a few moments before.

However, it only took a few minutes for the atmosphere to turn awkward and strained as Beckett's blush began to die down and the reality of their situation re-dawned on the travellers.

Suddenly, Alexis shot up from her spot on the ground. "Dad! Where's that keypad that you were fooling around with?"

Mal looked mildly surprised. "Ummm…stuck to the side of the door." He pointed to the small, rusted keypad that was missing 6 out of the 10 number keys.

Alexis strode over to the decrepit device, and within seconds had popped the top off of it and was examining the multicolored mess of wires inside. Pulling out the switchblade that her father had given her earlier for protection she sliced into several of the blue and red casings, pulling out the copper strands that were housed inside.

Carefully the teenager spliced some of them together and much to the amazement of the group, seconds later the gigantic bay door began to descend.

It was all Mal could do not to gape at his genius of a daughter. "But…wha-…how?"

Alexis smirked. "That's what happens when your daughter finishes all of her requirements as well as any interesting elective that her school had to offer. She takes a beginner's engineering class."

Esposito chuckled. "Alexis, I get learning how to hotwire a car in a high school class, but hotwiring a spaceship?"

She shrugged. "The shop teacher wanted me to apply to an engineering school, but I said I had more….refined things in mind."

"Well, either way, you saved our collective asses. It's good enough for me." said Zoe. "Let's get a move on shall we? If I so recall, we were just contacted by a psychic in order to tell us that she, her brother, our mercenary, and my husband were being kidnapped by an unknown party. I'd prefer it if we moved at a bit of a rush."

The group sobered immediately at the reminder of their situation. Mal placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder, and then stepped forward to lead the rest of the group into _Serenity._

* * *

><p>Everything was quiet as the unlikely crew made their way into the rusted, broken-down ship. Beckett, Esposito, Ryan, and Alexis looked around with interest at this example of future technology, their eyes curious and bright.<p>

Mal and Zoe, however, were different. They walked in with a certain respect, a reverence, as if reuniting with an old, treasured friend. Mal was glad that his back was turned to the others; he didn't want them to see the tears that were filling up in his eyes.

Mentally shaking himself, Mal turned back to the task at hand. Get the ship running, rescue four people from an unknown kidnapper, return people to 500 years in the past. Simple as pie.

Clearing his throat, he silently grabbed Zoe's attention. "Show them around, make sure they know where everything is. I'm gonna head up to the bridge and make sure that the launch codes are still the same."

Zoe nodded and gestured for the others to follow her out of the cargo bay and towards sickbay. Mal nodded at the others as they passed him, and was surprised when Alexis stopped momentarily to wrap her arms around him, squeezing him quickly before following the others.

As soon as they had stepped over the threshold, Mal was off like a shot, dashing up the metal stairs for the quickest route to the bridge heedless of the enormous amount of noise he was making. He could feel the familiarity, the smell, the sight of his ship sinking into his bones and it filled him with an energy that he had not felt for nearly two decades.

As he hurried down the corridor that held the quarters, Mal had half a mind to simply stop and check to see if Jayne had moved into his room during his absence. He was willing to bet that the mercenary would have at least tried to, and he hoped that he hadn't been successful. He couldn't sleep in that bunk again knowing what Jayne would've been doing in it.

Regardless of what had happened to is room, he could feel _Serenity_ coming back to him. Memories that had been long suppressed or forgotten resurfaced at the sight, the smell of his home. River being chased around the ship by Kaylee, Inara's smirk when they were arguing and she knew she was right, the meals with everyone at the table laughing and enjoying their meager supply of food.

And then, before he had a chance to contemplate what was going on, Mal was on the ground.

* * *

><p>Zoe was showing the group through the mess hall (which had since been repainted with even <em>more<em> flowers. You'd think Kaylee would have better things to do during a wartime than decorate a sitting area.) when the heavy _clangs_ of Mal's footsteps were replaced by a resounding _thud_ that seemed to echo throughout the whole ship.

Within a second, she had abandoned the story she was telling, her weapon was drawn, cocked, and she was at the door pointing it at the captain's unknown assailant. It was an elderly man who was sticking his knee into Mal's back and had what appeared to be a wooden crutch braced around the captain's neck, holding it up. He probably could have gotten out of it, however had there not also been a gun pressed to his temple.

Zoe silently stepped forward, her gun trained on the elder's head. Just before she was about to take the shot, however, she hesitated, studying the bushy white hair more carefully. And then it hit her, and she mentally cursed herself for being so stupid. Even from behind and with all the time that has passed, Zoe should've been able to recognize him in a heartbeat (though thirty seconds wasn't a bad time, either). He was, after all, well known on this ship.

"Now, son, typically when people go around stealing boats, they have the sense to at least walk around quietly until they're sure no one else is present."

Zoe could feel Esposito and Beckett on either side of her, guns at the ready and pointed at the back of the man. She chuckled inwardly at their confusion when she lowered her gun and holstered it. Looking at both of them, she shook her head with a smile.

Silently stepping forward she called out across the distance, "Hey! Preacher! As I do recall, the Bible has some pretty specific things to say about killing!"

The elder man started, pushing himself off of Mal and dropping his crutch, bracing on the wall for support. Slowly he turned around, revealing his horribly burnt face. But the splotches of red and black scarring that covered the majority of his skin couldn't mask the recognition that his marred features showed.

It was _Serenity's _resident shepherd, Derrial Book.

* * *

><p>Mal coughed and choked as oxygen slowly returned to his brain. His ears could hazily make out a gravelly voice calling out, "May be, may be. But it is pretty fuzzy on the subject of force when used to protect what's yours."<p>

It took a few seconds, but after the pounding of blood in his ears subsided and the stars stopped dancing in front of his eyes, Mal pushed himself to his feet.

The captain's eyes widened in surprise and his thoughts raced.

Well _aiya huaile_. Damn if it wasn't the preacher standing five feet away hugging Zoe like she would vanish into thin air. Behind them, Mal could see the three detectives and his daughter looking on in puzzlement and a tad of awe, though that could've just been from seeing Zoe express an emotion other than anger.

Rubbing his throat he choked out, "What in the name of _fay-fay duh pee-yeh_ was that?"

The shepherd's voice was full of mirth when he answered, "That was me teaching you a lesson on why stealth is always the best school of thought. As well as why you should always respect your elders."

Grabbing the wooden crutch from the ground, he stepped forward and poked Book's back with it. "I suppose I should keep that in mind considering your skill with a crutch."

Book reached behind himself and grabbed the crutch, and sticking it under his arm, had enough balance to let go of Zoe and turn to face the captain.

And Mal was not prepared for what he saw. He had expected that the shepherd who had 'bored' him with many a sermon would be aged a bit, but not this.

Like Mingo, Book's face was marred with a hideous burn scar. One of the holy man's eyelids was completely melted over the now useless organ, and the few inches of skin that surrounded it were a pure, milky white. Hair had been scorched off at random all over his head, and the skin there was marbled a dark, burnt black and the deep, angry red of re-growing flesh. All over his face, there were pockmarks and strips of peeling and burnt skin where flames had licked across it, and his neck was dotted with holes that were presumably left by shrapnel.

Book smirked grimly at Mal's look. "Not pretty is it?"

Mal shook his head. "Nah, but you were always a far cry from pretty, preacher. Ain't that why you never married?"

Book chuckled and hobbled forward to clasp Mal to himself. He was surprisingly sturdy for someone who looked like he had been blown to bits.

After a moment, Book leaned back on his crutch and looked sternly between the captain and first mate. "Now y'all gonna tell me what in the hell is goin' on?"

Mal smiled, and it was genuine. "Sure thing. Seems we've got us some introductions to make anyway."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, they were all seated in the dining area, and Book had set out tea as he listened to Mal and Zoe recount the story of their capture, time travelling, lives in the 20th and 21st centuries, and their voyage back to the ship.<p>

After their tale was finished, Book just sat silently for a moment, absorbing the new information and sipping on his tea. Mal and Zoe had expected this, and were quietly waiting for his response, but Beckett, the boys, and Alexis squirmed awkwardly in their chairs.

Book looked at the four of them, his good eye sharp and inquisitive. Turning first to Alexis, he studied her appearance, and then smiled. "So you're Mal's daughter?"

Alexis nodded mutely, and Book chuckled. "Gotta say, that surprises me more'n most of this story. The fact that Mal would have a kid." He glanced over at the captain. "He never really was the type."

Alexis felt a surge of protectiveness of her father. "He's a great dad! He gave me everything I needed and more. And no offense, sir, but you haven't seen my dad for over seventeen years. For all you know, he's a completely different person."

Book looked slightly definitely taken aback at her outburst, but then his smile widened, and he looked over at Mal. "Yep. Definitely your kid. Did you at least marry her mother?"

"Hey!" Mal protested. "Of course I did! Marryin' don't always have to be a religious thing, shepherd."

Book smirked. "Yes, but considering the arrangement you had here already..."

The detectives and Alexis were all looking at Mal, their gazes sharp. He rubbed a hand down his face.

"Shepherd, considering she was married seemingly 80 times before me, and a few times after, all without proper annulment, I don't exactly consider it a legitimate marriage."

"Something you'd like to tell us, Mal?" Kate asked.

Mal groaned into his hands. "A crazy bitch sneak attack married me on a junk planet when I was buzzed then tried to steal my ship and kill us all. Twice."

Book sniggered. "'Buzzed' is putting it a bit lightly."

Kate's eyebrows shot up. "Well that explains it." She turned to Book, a smirk on her face. "In that case, you might be interested to know that he's not only been married once, but two times. Well, three I guess if you count the wife from here."

"That so?"

"It is."

Book smiled. "So, Detective Beckett, what made a lady pretty as you want to work for the government?"

Beckett's face immediately sobered. "Listen…Shepherd, from what I've seen the government of our time is nothing like what you guys are fighting."

"Well, we have a few corrupt politicians," stated Ryan matter-of-factly. "But it's our job as cops to make sure that they get taken out of places of power."

Book nodded. "When Mal said he was working with cops, that's what I figured. The man hates feds so much, every time there's an inspection I'm shocked someone doesn't leave on a stretcher."

"Preacher," Mal broke in, a lopsided smile on his face. "Since we all seem to be telling stories, how about you inform us as to what the hell happened to you?"  
>The shepherd grimaced. "Like I said, ain't pretty. We were over on Oberon restocking platoons when suddenly the Alliance had us under fire. A few boys were trying to rig up some explosives to launch over when two of them had their feet shot out from underneath 'em. I couldn't just leave them there, so me and the third one started to drag the other two to where they could be treated. It was a mistake though, we weren't 30 feet away when the explosives got hit and blew up anything in a 50 yard radius." He pointed at himself. "Hence, this."<p>

Everyone winced in sympathy, but only three of them knew firsthand what it had to have been like. Book turned to Esposito and just looked at him for a moment.  
>"You were in a war too, weren't you, son?"<p>

Espo nodded. "Two tours in Afghanistan." Pausing when he realized that Book probably wouldn't know what that was, he clarified. "I served for ten years fighting a war against religious terrorism."

The preacher nodded, understanding lighting his mangled face. He was about to speak when Zoe cut across him.

"As fun as storytime is, we've got some business to be tendin' to." She stated grimly. "River, Simon, Jayne, and Wash have been kidnapped."

Book's eye widened in surprise. "And just how do you know that?"

"River and her weird psychic- thingy. She contacted us telepathically and told us what was going on." Mal said. "She said they couldn't escape or else everyone would die, or something along those lines. Which is _why_," he punctuated the word by sliding his chair back and standing up. "we're gonna need to start mounting a full on rescue mission." At Book's look, he felt the need to justify himself. "What? No better way to get me and Zoe back in the groove then to go back to our old routine of thrilling heroics."

"Need I remind you," Book started, "that you have civilians on board? Civilians who aren't even from this time period? Including your _daughter?_"

Mal shrugged. "Beckett, Ryan, and Espo can handle themselves. And as for Alexis, as much as I'd prefer like hell she was elsewhere, she is the one that got us aboard. She's got as much a right as anyone to try and earn her stripes." Alexis grinned with pride, and he winked at her. "'Sides, how else are they gonna decide whether or not they'll want to stay here? Good exposure and whatnot to what living in this time will require."

Book just raised his eyebrow and pushed himself out of his chair.

"Excellent, then if we're all in agreement, let's get to work. Alexis," Mal addressed his daughter first. "I want you to go down to the engine room with Zoe, see if you can't figure out how things work. Just don't break anything I can't replace. And that would be…anything. So just…don't break anything." She nodded and rose, seconds later both she and Zoe were out the door. He then turned to the three detectives. "Ryan and Esposito, I need you to go get Jayne's stash of weapons. His quarters are just through that door, in the corridor to the right. Just open doors until you find the one that smells like feet and has a piece of cloth hanging on the wall next to the bunk. Take down the cloth and grab whatever weapons you deem useful." The two men nodded silently and took off. Mal then turned to Beckett. "Kate, I'm assuming that you guys popped into sickbay real quick, right?" She nodded. "I'm gonna need you to go down there and familiarize yourself with the equipment. There may or may not be some instruction manuals, but seeing as our doctor's been kidnapped, you're gonna have to make do with what you've got. If you find a tablet that has a little stylus with it, that's a link to the codex. Don't download anything, just work with the info that's already stored on it." Beckett nodded and opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it again and left.

"That leaves you 'n me, preacher." Mal smiled. "Let's go get this ship warmed up and ready to roll."

* * *

><p>There was a comfortable silence on the bridge as Mal and Book went through the starting sequences, readying the ship for whatever hell they were about to face.<p>

And then a noise broke through the reverie.

It was a loud, clunking sound coming from the _Serenity's_ right side that seemed to echo throughout the ship. But there wasn't something wrong with the ship.

On the contrary, in fact; the ship was supposed to make that sound.

But only to herald the return of a shuttlecraft.

Mal whirled around in his chair to stare at the quietly cursing Book. He raised his eyebrow.

"Something you neglect to tell me, preacher?"

The old man looked guiltily down at his pants and fingered the gray material for a minute, silently, before speaking. "In my defense, son, I'm an old man, and there's been a lot of excitement today. Bound to happen that I'd forget to say something." The look on Book's face said more than his words ever could.

That was all Mal really needed to understand. There could really only be one situation at hand, once you put the facts together, and the second it clicked, he was flying down the hall. He wasn't all that surprised to see Zoe running towards the catwalks as well, a confused looking Alexis in tow.

They got to the door of Shuttle One just as it started to slide open.

* * *

><p>Inara Serra slowly guided the shuttle into its docking station on Serenity. As per their new system, she hadn't radioed the ship beforehand, it was too dangerous to have channels open most of the time what with the Alliance listening into every other broadcast. Nope, now that they weren't only a smuggler ship, but a supply ship for the Second Independence War, they couldn't afford for any screw ups.<p>

Getting up and moving through the silken curtains, she silently padded over the richly colored rug to the bed that lay against the back wall of the shuttle. These were some of the few relics that she had left of her old life- times being what they were, and given the unique situation of the ship, she had sold off most of her belongings to keep _Serenity_ flying. Where her home had once been ornately decorated in the deep golds and reds that she loved so much, now there were only a few bolts of cloth left to cover the cold looking steel walls. Her bed, rug, and a few small statues of the Buddha were the only personal possessions she had left.

Despite this, Inara smiled as she shook the napping woman who lay sprawled out across the bed gently awake. When that only caused her to roll over, she began to murmur softly, "_Mei-mei,_ we're back. You have to wake up now." No response. "C'mon _mei-mei._" No response. "Kaylee!"

Kaylee Frye's eyes snapped open, and she shot up off the bed. She turned and glared at her smirking friend. "There was no need to shout."

Inara's grin widened. "If you had woken up when I first called, I wouldn't have had to shout." She playfully shoved at the mechanic's shoulder. "Now let's head on out."

Her look turned stern. "We have to do another quick scan before you can go back to the engine room."

As Kaylee groaned, Inara grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door. "It won't be that bad!" She was still looking at Kaylee when she pressed the button to open the door. "And just think what-"

Inara looked out onto the catwalk that she had just been about to walk on. About a foot in front of her was a man. Not that seeing a man would be that unusual, there were plenty of men around (and she would know).

But this man couldn't be here, he had been gone for years. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her.

Inara blinked frantically, hoping that she could clear her mind of this vision.

But then, he reached out to her and spoke, his low baritone sending shivers down her spine. "Inara…"

It was him. Malcolm Reynolds was back.

She barely registered Kaylee's scream of delight as Inara fell to the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

><p>River slowly gained consciousness, but made the decision to keep her eyes closed. She evaluated her surroundings. The floor was a cold metal, meaning the floor of a ship. There were vibrations shaking it from the engines, and River concentrated on those for a moment. They were "running hot" as Wash would say.<p>

She smelled the air. It was clean, sterilized no doubt. Her clothes were emitting a faint odor from the chemicals that had been used to gas them, but she wasn't horribly worried about it. What she was worried about, however, was the lack of other smells in the room. She couldn't smell her brother's light cologne, Wash's 'lucky socks', or Jayne's 'man-stank'. That meant she was alone.

Taking a deep breath, the young psychic pried open her eyes. The room looked like she thought it would, empty with walls of clean, polished steel. River rubbed her bare arms and wished she had thought to wear something with sleeves.

Then it occurred to her. Why was she rubbing her arms? Her hands should be cuffed together- cuffed to the ground or a table or at least something.

River smirked. _Our captors are assured in their victory. Soon they will learn from their mistake._

She sat down, cross-legged on the floor and began to reach for the special place in her mind. _Yes. This will be their undoing._

* * *

><p><strong>Alrighty! That's all for now folks! Mosey on over to that review button and tell me what you think :)<strong> 


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